What Does a Healthy Heart Diet Look Like?
Your diet is what you eat over time – it is not just focused on a particular meal or two. So it requires an understanding of what you are aiming for and then slowly making the changes that become the new habits which put the new diet in place
So what are the basic requirements of a heart-supporting diet?
- Eat more vegetables and fruits
I have written vegetables first on purpose, even although it doesn’t slide off the tongue as easily as the other way round! As we know, fruits are sweet and it is possible to get too much sugar even from wholesome foods if we eat them in too high portions. So the bulk should come from the vegetables, and the fruits be used as desserts or treats.
- Change to whole grains in place of refined grains.
These are much better for us. They are a better source of fibre, and various vitamins and minerals. Most notable here re the B vitamins and Vitamin E. And there are very important fats called lipids and sterols that are found in the germ of the grains. They are the building blocks for all our cell membranes!
In addition, they are slower to digest, so the release of sugars into the blood stream is slowed down substantially. That results in better control of blood sugar levels.
- Opt for heart-healthy fats
These are mono- and poly-unsaturated fats such as omega 3 and omega 6 oils,
A word of caution: we are meant to get these is approximately equal quantities from our diets, but our modern Western diet is very heavily skewed towards the over abundance of omega 6 oils. If you are not able to eat the rich, oily fish such as salmon then an Omega 3 supplement is pretty well essential.* - Start using herbs and spices instead of salt to flavour your food. Too much added sodium, in the form of table salt, can adversely impact blood pressure. High blood pressure is definitely an indicator of poor heart health.
- Remove or dramatically reduce trans fats, processed foods, excess salt and sugar from your daily diet.
* Another word of caution: not all Omega 3’s are equal! If you want to be assured of purity, potency and effectiveness I have one that I can recommend highly. And I take it myself on a daily basis.
Or you can take a look at various heart-health-supporting supplements here and order directly:
https://neolifeafrica.com/positiveoptions/shop/hearthealth
Disclaimer:
The opinions expressed within this article are the personal opinions and experiences of the author. They are for information purposes and do not replace a consultation with your doctor.
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